


More of this

by andiwould



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Attraction, Awkwardness, Bad Flirting, Coffee Shops, First Meetings, Fluff, Idiots in Love, M/M, Snogging
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-29
Updated: 2013-09-29
Packaged: 2017-12-27 23:42:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/985042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andiwould/pseuds/andiwould
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s funny how getting oneself into the shittiest situations can end up in the best possible ways. </p><p>Written for this prompt: <i>"Today, I went into a small coffee shop. In line, a guy came up to me and was like "I haven't seen you here before, are you new in town?" and I replied with "Oh, no I've lived here for years. The coffee here is crap, though, so I only come here when Starbucks is full" He's the owner of the shop. FML"</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	More of this

**Author's Note:**

> Made for this month's 'coffee shop' themed challenge at [merlin-writers](http://merlin-writers.livejournal.com).
> 
> Kindly betaed by [eeshbelle](http://eeshbelle.livejournal.com/), thanks once more for the help :)

As soon as Merlin wakes, he knows today is going to be one of these days. 

One of these days when it feels like everything’s going to go wrong, and it only takes him one look at the blank alarm clock to be proven right. It seems it has stopped working exactly at 3:47 A.M and the alarm hasn’t gone off, which means that, judging by the pale sun rays streaming through the windows, it’s already time to be up, and also means that he’s going to be late for work. 

With a loud curse, Merlin kicks the covers off his body and away, managing not to trip in his haste, and races to the bathroom bare feet, listening to his footsteps echoing all over the place in his wake. Unaware of the actual time, he makes a quick job of washing his face and brushing his teeth before running back to his bedroom and digging inside his wardrobe for some clean, presentable clothes he can wear. He dresses in record time, doing the buttons up as he attempts to stick his feet in his shoes, and then sprints to get his scarf, phone, keys and wallet, and sneaks out of the door, wrapping the scarf around his neck in a haphazard mess while he trots down the stairs. 

Considering he’s half an hour late according to his phone, maybe the wisest decision would be heading straight for the office and foregoing his much needed morning cup of coffee, but then again, he _needs_ his daily dose of caffeine to function properly. 

As he passes Starbucks he doesn't even need to poke his head inside the crystal doors to see how cramped it is, so he doesn’t stop until he reaches _Camelot_ , the other coffee shop at the opposite end of the street. The coffee there is not even half as good as Starbucks’, but it’ll have to do for today. Merlin can’t afford wasting any more time in a queue of fifty people knowing that Aredian, his boss, is waiting for the first chance to give him the sack.

Luckily for him, there’s only two customers queuing when he pushes _Camelot_ ’s door open and rushes to get behind the man with the newspaper beneath one arm and a black briefcase in his other. Merlin checks his mobile, then curses inwardly, bouncing on the balls of his feet and pushing his fringe off his eyes with a flourish of his hand.

Someone’s shoulder brushes against his, and Merlin whips his head around to see a very fit bloke —exactly Merlin’s type— standing beside him. He gives Merlin a very obvious and quite heated once-over, and Merlin feels hot and anxious in turns. It’s been four sad months since the last time he got laid, and these days it takes the simplest and most ridiculous things to have him popping a boner in the most embarrassing situations and places. And right now, if the guy keeps ogling him like that for much longer, Merlin can’t say he’s going to be responsible for his actions.

“Do you come here often? I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before,” the bloke asks, crossing his arms over his chest in a way that makes his biceps and pecs show off. Merlin manages not to gape too much, but his thoughts run wild nonetheless. He wants to make a place for himself in between those arms and that chest, and live cocooned there forever. 

“Um, no,” he croaks out, feeling hotter as the seconds pass. “I don’t.” Suddenly wearing a scarf doesn’t seem such a brilliant idea, so he tugs it looser. 

“Thought so, or I’d have approached you before.” The guy’s smirk turns almost predatory, and if Merlin wasn’t late for work, he’d let himself be ravished against the counter repeatedly.

But instead, he smiles back, a bit dopey, probably. “I just try to avoid this place because, between you and me, the coffee tastes _awful_ ,” he says and barely notices the change of demeanor in the bloke before he goes on. “Starbucks’ queue ends almost outside the door and I’m far too late for work as it is, so it was either the cheap and sour coffee they sell here, or falling asleep during work hours, and honestly, having a boss like mine, the latter is not even an option.”

The guy freezes, and the manic expression on his face would be pretty funny if not for the fact that the nice smile has disappeared and been replaced by an open mouth and an expression of pure anguish and fury. In that moment, it suddenly dawns on Merlin that; one, the guy, a gorgeous blond-haired and blue-eyed Greek-god kind of guy, was trying to flirt with him two seconds ago but seems to be no longer up for it by the looks of it, and two, it’s pretty evident it’s because Merlin’s had to go open his stupid, big mouth, and fuck up big time.

Someone cracking up somewhere behind them snaps them both from the intense eye-gazing, breaking the tension, and it gives Merlin the perfect excuse to come closer to the now empty counter and order his coffee.

“What can I get you?” The dark-skinned and smiley girl at the other side asks. 

Merlin peers at the blond bloke once more, who seems to be busy hushing the laughing guy with a sharp, angry voice and a glowering glance, and swallows awkwardly before returning his gaze to the girl and saying, “Just a cup of black coffee, please.”

The guy appears by Merlin’s side again, a bitter quirk to his lips now. Merlin peeks sideways at him, torn between resuming the conversation in the hopes that they can pretend nothing’s happened, or assuming he’s just lost all chances. “So, um. Do you come here often yourself?” he tries. 

The guy takes a very deep breath and looks dead into Merlin’s eyes as he answers, “Seeing as I own the place, yeah, I do come here often enough.”

Now it’s Merlin’s turn to gawk like an idiot as everything clicks into place. “Oh,” he whispers, feeling a shameful heat rising slowly all the way up to his cheeks. "Shit.” 

They stare at each other for what feels like a torturous eternity again, and Merlin rakes his brain for something clever to say so he can fix this, but he can’t come up with anything. He feels like the biggest pillock in the planet; of all the people that could have hit on him, it had to be the owner himself. And Merlin had to go and misprise his coffee in his face. He doesn’t know how he gets himself into these situations. 

“Here you go, sir, will that be all?” the girl behind the counter asks. 

Merlin nods hastily, smashing his money onto the counter and grabbing his coffee possessively with both hands, quickly taking a scalding sip that tastes like glory. 

He shoots the bloke a look, but seeing as he's still scowling deeply, Merlin mumbles his hasty thanks and goodbyes in a bumbling fashion as he retreats to the door and all but flies, sparing a fleeting but longing glance at the bloke again. 

He tells himself he runs because he’s late, but truth is, he’s never feel that embarrassed before in his life. 

* 

The following Saturday, the first thing that comes to Merlin’s mind when he wakes is, like the rest of the days since he met him, the gorgeous bloke from the coffee shop. Merlin’s stomach is still a bit in knots after what happened, and he feels so utterly stupid most of the time when he thinks about it, that he knows he has to go back and apologise for being an idiot and then running away like a coward. 

When he arrives at the shop Merlin realises is the most full he has ever seen it as he scans the room for the owner. The place is actually cosy and warm, nicely decorated, and if it weren’t for the coffee, Merlin is sure it’d have much more clientele. 

“I can’t believe my eyes, you came back,” someone says behind him. Merlin turns to see the bloke from the other day, the one with the long brownish hair and the roaring laughter; the one that laughed his arse off at Merlin's cock-up. “Was the coffee not so awful after all or are you here for a certain someone?”

Merlin feels his cheeks flush, so he cleverly ignores the first part of the question. “I’m looking for the owner, is he here?” he asks, fingering the sleeves of his grey jumper as he takes another look around for good measure.

“So you do mean Arthur.” The guy smirks, lounguing in a chair with all the grace Merlin lacks of, and looking incredibly amused. “Oh, but he’s going to be so pleased to see you, he’s been moping about since you disparaged his coffee. He got so far as to buy a new coffee machine because he got all paranoid about it.” He snickers, apparently finding it funny.

Merlin doesn't. His jaw drops open slightly. “He did what?”

“Yeah, mate, he bloody did. You really hurt his ego.” He wriggles his eyebrows.

“That’s . . .” Merlin doesn’t even know what to say to that.

“I’m Gwaine, by the way, I sometimes take orders and make coffees, but most of the time I drink them myself.” Merlin huffs a chuckle and Gwaine flashes him a smile. “If you’re looking for Arthur he’s in the back room.”

When Gwaine points behind Merlin’s shoulder and he spins around to see a door with a placard that reads ‘staff only’, his nerves come back in full force. “Do you think you could you go get him for me?”

Gwaine’s smirk widens. “Nah, it's better you go in there, mate, you'll have more privacy."

Merlin's eyes widen a tad. Was his desperation showing so clearly the other day, his ogling so obvious? Fuck. "I don't know what you're thinking, but—" he makes a poor attempt at excusing himself.

"Just go. I’m giving you permission, I’m good friends with Arthur,” Gwaine insists, standing up and urging him with a pat on the shoulder. 

Merlin sighs a long sigh, slowly approaching the room. He turns the door handle with caution, poking his head inside before stepping in. 

The bloke—Arthur, is there, looking intensely at a clipboard he’s holding in one hand and tapping a pen against his lips pensively with the other. He’s leaning elegantly but casually against a shelf, looking as fit as the other day, even more so with his lips pursed in a pout and his blue eyes innocently flicking towards him as Merlin disrupts his calm.

His expression hardens immediately upon seeing Merlin standing by the door, though, and his relaxed posture stiffens. “What are you doing here? This room is for staff only,” he says, putting his clipboard down on top of a box that seems to be of a coffee machine.

“Um, Gwaine—? He let me in. To see you,” Merlin explains poorly.

Arthur doesn’t look impressed, rather the opposite a he crosses his arms over his chest in a defensive gesture. “Have you come here to mock me, insult me some more? Did you bring coffee from Starbucks?”

Merlin frowns. “No, I’m here to apologise, actually. No need to be such a prat about it.”

“Pardon?” Arthur’s eyebrows shoot up so high they disappear below his golden fringe. “I am the prat? Do you know who I am?”

“No, I don't, but you _really_ are being a prat just now,” Merlin insists, and then watches as Arthur stares at him for a few seconds before he uncrosses his arms and waves a hand, silently prompting Merlin to go on. Merlin sighs. “Look, I just came here to say that I’m used to Starbucks’ coffee, and to be honest, the times I’ve had coffee here it hasn’t been so good, that’s all. I didn’t know who you were and I was rude the other day, yeah, but— I’m not usually like that. I never meant to _wound your ego_.”

Arthur stares at him for a moment and Merlin offers a tentative smile. “I don’t know what Gwaine said to you, but you didn’t _wound my ego_ ,” Arthur tells him finally, sounding a bit petulant. 

“Well, he said you brought a new coffee machine.” Merlin takes a step closer. “Um, because of what I said.”

Arthur scowls, but Merlin thinks he catches a splash of red on his cheeks that wasn’t there before as he sidesteps to cover the coffee machine box with his legs. “Don’t think so highly of yourself. I had it ordered a week before you came in, actually.”

“Okay. If you say so.” Merlin shuffles one feet against the floor as silence settles over them. He thinks whatever he’s come here to do is done and now he can go back home in peace and forget any of this ever happened. “Well, I’ll just,” He gestures over his shoulder awkwardly. “go, I guess. I'm glad everything's cleared up.”

Arthur speaks as Merlin makes it to the door. “That’s it? That’s all you’re going to say?”

Merlin turns back to face him, stares in confusion. “What else do you want?”

Arthur quirks an eyebrow. “You know you haven’t really come here to _apologise_.”

Merlin stares some more. “Haven’t I?” He blinks. “So why am I here for exactly?”

A mischievous smirk spreads slowly across Arthur’s lips. “Well, you might not want my coffee but I saw the way you looked at me the other day. You sure as hell want _me_.”

Merlin snorts a laugh, happy at Arthur's change of demeanour and the new turn the conversation has taken. “I could say the same thing about you. You know, you might be good-looking but that doesn’t give you the right to assume everyone _wants_ you.”

“I’m not assuming,” Arthur says, walking closer until he’s two steps away from crowding Merlin against the door. “I know you’re here for me.”

Merlin snorts, a bit breathlessly. “Seems like I was wrong, you’re not only a prat, you’re a _stuck-up_ prat.”

Arthur makes a humming noise, shrugs and says, “Whatever.” And when he attempts to move closer, Merlin plants his hand on his chest to stop him, because his body is almost right there against Merlin's, oozing warmth and making him pleasantly dizzy. "Just ask me out," Arthur tells him arrogantly, leaning his hand on the door beside Merlin’s shoulder. "I’ll say yes.”

Merlin huffs, feeling both nervous and amused, before he regards Arthur’s face curiously and decides to go for it. He has nothing to lose and a date to win. “Fine,” he says, then tugs at Arthur’s shirt and presses his closed lips against Arthur’s, taking him by surprise. He keeps it chaste, only giving him a couple of teasing pecks, or that's what he intends. But when Merlin means to pull away Arthur chases after his lips and snatches another snog, a lot dirtier than the first. Merlin indulges him and blindly walks Arthur backwards against the metal rack behind him, causing some of its contents to fall down the floor, before sending Arthur reeling. Huffing a laugh, Merlin comes to his senses and pushes himself away from Arthur with the same hand over Arthur's chest that had been up to now pressing them as close as humanly possible. 

When Arthur blinks his eyes open he's looking wonderfully dazed. 

Merlin's chest is heaving a bit too much, too, but he schools his features, so as not to let on how much he needs to shag Arthur's brains out right at this very moment. “Um, I’ll give you and your new coffee a chance, I’ll be outside.” 

It takes all his willpower to turn around, open the door and exit, but he wants to take it a bit slower than that. So, avoiding any more interaction with Arthur for now, he heads straight for an empty table, taking off his jacket and scarf. Gwaine catches his eye from the other side of the counter and smirks knowingly.

Arthur comes out of the back room right away, not being even a little discreet about it, and immediately searches him amongst the crowd. When their eyes meet, a sense of exhilaration takes over Merlin right there and then. He has a good feeling about this, and he’s immensely glad that, after his cock-up the other day, in the end, he’s going to be given a second chance. 

 

FIN.


End file.
